Coalition asks Legislature to stop Governor Christie’s Pay-to-Play Policies
A coalition of labor and environmental organizations held a mock auction of environmental waivers today in front of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to demonstrate how Governor Christie is selling New Jersey’s health and environment to benefit big corporations and developers. The coalition is calling on the State Legislature to override the rule through legislative action. DEP will begin accepting applications for regulatory waivers today.
“Governor Christie is auctioning off our health and environment to highest bidder,” said Denise Patel, Project Coordinator for the NJ Work Environment Council, a labor-environment coalition. “Big corporations and wealthy campaign contributors will benefit, and the rest of us will lose out. The waiver rule creates an unprecedented concentration of power in the executive branch. The DEP Commissioner, a political appointee, will be able to write off our communities with a stroke of a pen in favor of developers and polluters. We are calling on the State Legislature to stand up for New Jersey’s workers and communities.”
